“It’s become a lot tighter and what happens is it comes in a really short distance,” he said.

With the barriers in place, the emergency lanes are gone. While Christian has never had a vehicle crash, he said he has had close calls.

Spring break has arrived. Christian said he is worried about being in those construction zones with drivers only thinking about their destination.

“You have to condition yourself to realize that you can go from a situation where you’re in four full lanes to an area where you’re in two lanes,” he said. “(It makes for) really tight quarters.”

Chad Adams, of the Arkansas Highway Department, said crews installed the wall because they need a barrier between traffic and construction. To make sure workers stay safe, Arkansas State Police said they will be out in full force next week to watch for drivers with a lead foot.

“In construction zones, we’re having zero tolerance on speeders,” said Ted Grigson, of the Arkansas State Police. “Highway construction workers are crossing the roads. They’re actually on foot. They’re pulling out large dump trucks. Traffic is slowing down quickly. When it says 55, we actually mean 55.”

State police said drivers shouldn’t be holding a cellphone in construction zones, otherwise they will be fined. They suggest instead using a hands-free device.